1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to ignitors used for igniting air/fuel mixtures in automotive application and the like.
2. Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,883,507 discloses an ignitor for use in a corona discharge air/fuel ignition system. The firing end of the igniter has an outer metal shell that surrounds the insulator and which is formed with external threads for screwing the ignitor into a threaded spark plug socket of a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine in the same manner as a conventional spark plug. These threads occupy space that could otherwise be occupied by other functional parts of the ignitor, such as the insulator, to enhance the performance of the ignitor and the engine. In addition, forming these threads requires additional steps in manufacture, which ultimately adds cost to manufacture the ignitor.